Bear’s past refuses to let go.
Ten years ago, Bear
McKinley gave up everything—his freedom and his reputation—for his mess of a
family. But after years of distance and too many attempts at starting over, he
finally has a new life…until his past catches up to him once again. Suddenly,
he finds himself charged with the care of his missing brother’s children,
convinced he’s out of second chances to make his life count. And yet, with
every day that passes, these kids and the woman he never stopped missing help
patch the holes in his heart. Maybe this is the fresh start he’s been longing
for all along. But as his newfound hope grows, so does the mystery surrounding
his brother’s activities—and when the threat reaches into the lives of those he
loves, it’s clear he can’t run away this time.
Fear holds Raegan’s future
captive.
Raegan Walker is fine. She’s happy working part-time jobs and
rarely venturing from her hometown. At least, that’s what she tells
everyone…and herself. But she can’t help wondering what might’ve happened if
she hadn’t abandoned her art so many years ago—and if Bear McKinley had never
left. When Bear returns and she’s commissioned for a painting that just might
revive her artistic ambition all in one week, it’s time to finally reach for
more than fine. But doing so means facing the fears that have held her back all
this time, including admitting the secret she’s kept from Bear and her family.
With her dream and her heart on the line, how much will Raegan have to risk to
finally chase her happy ending?
All This Time is
the fourth book in Melissa Tagg’s Walker
Family series, coming after From the Start, Like Never Before, and Keep Holding On. Ever since I first read
Three Little Words—the prequel novel
to this series—back in 2015, I have been a really big fan of Melissa’s, and I have
been dying to finally read Raegan and Bear’s story. There have been little
hints of them in every novel since From
the Start, and I have been longing to finally read about them and what made
them who they are, and if they would ever finally get together. Needless to
say, when this book finally came out, I couldn’t imagine not buying it, and I’m
so glad I was finally able to get around to actually reading it.
Never in a million years would I have imagined Raegan and
Bear’s stories would play out quite like they did in the course of this novel. I
truly had no idea what they were each wrestling with, and the element of
surprise, of the unknown, really gave this story an extra aspect of lovability.
Although I obviously had my ideas about how things would eventually turn out
alright in the end (because when do they not?), I really couldn’t have
predicted a single part of the plotline of this novel, and I really loved the
unexpectedness of it all.
I also really loved the chance to finally truly get to know
Raegan and Bear. As I said before, I had been catching small glimpses of them
throughout the entire series, so I really enjoyed the chance to actually get to
know them, and not just the pieces of
them I saw through other characters’ perspectives. Raegan was just as sweet,
loving, and innocent as I expected, though Bear had a past unlike anything I ever
could have imagined. I could easily see how that made him who he was, however,
and I really enjoyed getting to learn that about him and how he had worked past
it to become the man Raegan saw him as.
However, I think the part that really stood out to me the
most was almost a climax moment near the end of the story. Although I would
never even begin to compare my story with Raegan’s—because it is so totally
different—I have learned that I typically find little pieces of myself in all
of the wonderful novels that I read, and this one is no different. There were
just so many parts of Raegan’s struggle with fear that I personally have
experienced over the course of my 21 years. Fear is a terrible thing, it is a
lie straight from the devil himself, but it is something we as humans so easily
fall prey to, myself included. And I hate that, because there is nothing about
me or my life that makes me want to waste my time living in fear. So—to a
degree—I really understood what Raegan was struggling with, and I definitely learned
a lot as I watched her strive to overcome it.
All in all, I really loved this novel (as if you couldn’t
already tell). Melissa is just such a talented writer, and she weaves together stories
that are basically impossible to put down, for me anyway. I cannot imagine
giving this story anything less than five bookshelves, though I know I say that
far too often to count. I just can’t though, it easily made it onto my all-time
favorites list and is a book that I am very pleased with myself for purchasing.
What about that doesn’t say five-out-of-five bookshelves? Anyway, I highly
recommend this novel, though I definitely would advise reading the rest of the
books in the series first, because they make the most sense that way, and
because they are all equal levels of amazing.
Happy reading!
To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party
page.
All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Melissa Tagg
and Larkspur Press.
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